Dale and Duds co-founder defies cancer, keeps playing

Cancer won't stop Robert Ferrante from singing with his musical band of brothers, Dale and the Duds.

Staff Reporter

PLYMPTON -- Nothing will stop Robert Ferrante from singing with his musical band of brothers, Dale and the Duds.

Not even cancer.

He performed last weekend with the legendary local band in Abington, singing for a large outdoor crowd and manning the drums or horns as he has for more than four decades.

The band has been together for 43 years – and Ferrante said their bond has only become stronger since he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in June.

“I have good days and bad days,” Ferrante, 63, a Plympton resident, said Tuesday. “The guys have been terrific.”

Band member Randy Julius of East Bridgewater has been visiting Ferrante often and delivering bottles of water to his lifelong friend. The band formed in 1971, when Ferrante and Julius were in their early 20s.

“We’ve been together longer than any of us have been married. It’s crazy,” said Julius, 66, an East Bridgewater resident who plays rhythm guitar.

The other band members are Randy’s brother, lead singer Dale Julius, 63, of East Bridgewater; lead guitar player Mitch Mackiewicz, 65, of Middleboro; and base player Paul Ayers, 65, of Bridgewater.

An accomplished French horn player, Ferrante has extensive musical talent, band members said. He can sing baritone, and also play the trumpet and the drums.

“He’s self taught on drums and he has a level of proficiency that very few people who are in more famous bands can equal,” Mackiewicz said. “That’s just on the drums.”

Ferrante has had a lifelong musical career. An East Bridgewater native, he taught in Brockton schools for 22 years before retiring in 2010. He conducted the Brockton High School Concert Band and the West Middle School Band, and previously taught in Plymouth and Holbrook.

Dale Julius and Ferrante both graduated from East Bridgewater High School together in 1969. The two played little league together as young boys.

“It’s been a whole lifetime we’ve known each other,” Dale Julius said. “We were in class plays together.”

Ferrante studied music at Boston University. He began teaching in Holbrook in 1973, two years after the band formed. He spent most of his career teaching in Brockton, alongside Vincent Macrina, music director for Brockton’s school system.

“I hired him. He’s one of the kindest guys and most dedicated teachers out there,” Macrina, 66, said.

Ayers and Dale Julius highlighted Ferrante’s positive personality through the years, which has kept the band strong.

“Bob’s a natural musician and he’s just about never without a smile on his face,” Ayers said. “All the many years we’ve been together, he always keeps it light and keeps the music moving, has that beat.”

And for four decades, as band members have traveled together to various gigs, Ferrante has been the one keeping band members in stitches.

“He’s quite a character,” Dale Julius said. “He’s pretty funny. We’ve had a lot of laughs over the years. He’s telling jokes driving to and from jobs. He’s got a great sense of humor.”

In May, over Memorial Day weekend, Ferrante was playing with the band in Duxbury when he began feeling unusually tired.

“I said Randy, when are we taking a break? I feel tired, and I never feel tired,” Ferrante recalled. “I knew something was wrong.”

Ferrante said he went to his doctor, who sent him to the hospital where a CAT scan revealed his cancer. He has since had five chemotherapy treatments. He undergoes chemotherapy about every two weeks at Jordan Hospital in Plymouth, he said.

Ferrante said the support of his family and friends have kept him going in recent weeks. His wife, Martina, a music professor at Bridgewater State University, and their son, Marc, 26, have been there for him, as have his band mates and dozens of his former students and colleagues.

“All these well wishes, it’s so encouraging,” he said. “I get at least three cards a day in the mail. I’ve got former students visiting me.”

Two former Brockton colleagues, Macrina and Charlie Blanchette, who worked for years as a music teacher in Brockton, have stepped up to offer help and encouragement.

Macrina had dinner with Ferrante last week. “I try to tell him to just stay focused and as strong as possible,” Macrina said.

And Blanchette, who now teaches music in Abington, has been filling in on the drums for Dale and the Duds while Ferrante undergoes treatment.

“I’ve known him since the late 1970s,” said Blanchette, 58, of Brockton. “He’s just a great musician and just a beautiful guy, just wonderful.”

Band members and his friends and loved ones have been praying for Ferrante to get stronger every day.

“We have obviously been praying like crazy and we have a lot of cautious optimism,” Mackiewicz said. “He’s shown up at many jobs and sung his heart out tirelessly. The harmonies and the spirit are right on the money.”

“Everybody’s just trying to keep backing him,” Dale Julius said. “His spirit is real good, he has a positive attitude.”

Ferrante said the love and support has meant a lot, particularly from his band mates.

“We’ve been together for 43 years. It’s just really great to get together with them,” Ferrante said. “It’s like a family.”